Mexico weekly ledger., 1887-02-10
Howell County.

leaders OF the LEDGER, 1 VIII give d
description of some Of Howell conn-
US stock and fruit growing enter
| will commence with
A. CRANES RANCHO.
This rancho. is located Is miles
southeast of West Plains, is owned
by A. Crane, of Chicago, Illinois, and
is superintendent by w. d. Armstrong
late of Wyoming, Ill. 1t contains
Is, 900 acres of land, 5000 acres Of
are under fence, 1000 in cul-
tivation, about $50 in grass and clio
yer and more land being opened all
the time. The residence on the range
cost $1,000. 1t has a large barn,
stocksheds, etc, and is stocked with
600 head of fine cattle and several
hundred head of hogs of fine grades.
WILLIS PRATT Rancho.
This rancho, Is miles south of
West Plains. 1t contains 10000
acres of land in a body, 1000 acres
of which is now under fence, 400 in
cultivation and a force of hands
clearing and breaking up more and
will seed 400 acres more in The spring.
1t now has 500 head of fine cattle,
100 of which are tine-blooded Short
horns and Galloways. 1t has 800
head of fine grade hogs. The resi-
dence cost $4,000, and a barn to cost
81, 200 is now in course of construct
ion. This rancho is owned by Willis
Pratt, of Kansas City, and is run by
A. T. Mastin, one of Howell county's
most thorough business men.
OZARK CATTLE Rancho.
This rancho IS situated one mile
from Burnham Station. 1t is owned
by a stock company, of which j. M.
Mott Is superintendent and Amos
Miles is manager. 1t has an author
lied capital of $4,000 and contains
2,O40 acres of land, all under fence,
with 55 acres under cultivation and
a force of hands cleaning and break
ing. Tt has $50 head of cattle, part
of which are fine blooded, for grad
ing up. The rancho has good build
ings, and will this summer build a
house in which to compress feed by
the new French method, called silo.
This method Is to sow orn broad
cast, cut while in the tassel, chop 1t
and put it into a machine in which it
is subjected to a heavy pressure and
goes through a seat. 1t remains in
this stage all winter the same as can
ned fruit and gives the stock all the
flavor and nutrition of the green
feed. This company was only organ.
lied in 1885. Captain Black, j. T.
Womack, j. D. Washinton and
others are in the rancho business on
a small scale.
Fl OLDEN FIR UT FARM.
This fruit farm is situated s miles
northwest Of West Plains on the line
of the K. c., S. & NJ. r. r. The
tract comprises 1000 acres of land
in nearly a square body and is divided
near the center by the rail road. Oh.
den Station is near the center of the
farm and is a town site laid out and
plated. A little less than a yeal
ago Mr.. J. Evans, who owns a large
fruit farm neal Kansas City, and 6
few other fruit growers of that vicin-
ity formed q stock company for the
purpose of experimenting with fruit
in Howell county. They purchased
this tract of land, which had then
three or four little farms upon it,
probably not over $50 acres in cult
walton in all. l mean by cultivation
that the stumps, roots and large
stones have all been removed and the
ground pulverized to a good depth
and the wild vegetation subdued so
that it can be titled with as much ease
as the oldest farm ia the county.
They now have out 10000 peach
trees, some of which will begin to
bear fruit next season also they have
out 1900 apple trees, 1000 pear
trees and and a few plumb and cher
ry trees. In short they now
have out % acres in small fruit such
as r~aspberries, Strawberries and black
berries. About rs of an acre bore
this season and 1S9 bushels were
gathered and sold for 1892. The
above figures do not include the
amount consumed on the farm. They
cultivated $50 acres of potatoes and
200 acres of corn this season among
the trees, all of which did well.
They will continue to clean and plant
until the whole farm is planted.
Twenty-four men are now employed
and in three years more they will
need 800 men. This experiment
will show what the land can do.
Land can be bought just like this for
from Toe to 1926 per acre. The
superintendent of the farm will plant
100000 apple and peach trees this
spring. If ahv one wants furthur in
formation let them send stamp, paper
and envelope and | will answer.
W. NEwKIRK.